TAX SEMINAR WITH IRS: IS MY ASSISTANCE TAXABLE?
Guest speaker: Nancy Feliciano, IRS Stakeholder Liaison, Area 2
Topic: Business tax relief credits, Economic Impact Payments, Other relief payments as taxable income and all other IRS tax related concerns relative to COVID19.
Thursday Apr 23, 2020
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
ARTISTS ROUNDTABLE
At our last meeting our creative partners asked for information on how to “Turn Your Art Virtual” and we have a guest who will tell us how she did it. Award-winning
folk musician
, songwriter and
children’s educator
through the arts,
Sally Rogers
brings her mesmerizing vocals and musical genius to concert halls, coffeehouses, schools, churches and homes. Check out her Song A Day on Facebook.
Wednesday, April 29 at 10:00 AM
Also, the CT Office of the Arts is accepting applications for two grants. We will review those grants and offer assistance to our partners.
NEW WORKPLACE RULES FOR EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMERS
The state Department of Economic and Community Development last night released guidance for workplace rules, last updated on April 17, governing the use of face masks or cloth face coverings. These mandatory protective measures that every workplace in Connecticut
deemed essential
—and any other business or nonprofit allowed to remain open during the pandemic—must follow. This is not a procedure for you to OPEN YOUR BUSINESS. The first rule is: essential employees who are able to work from home SHOULD BE WORKING FROM HOME.
We know there has been considerable confusion regarding this issue and we will continue to work with the state to bring more clarity and common sense to the application of these rules.
The guidance adds the following language:
· Each employee shall be required to wear a mask or other cloth material that covers their mouth and nose while in the workplace, except to the extent an employee is using break time to eat or drink. Employers shall issue such masks or cloth face coverings to their employees. In the event an employer is unable to provide masks or cloth face coverings to employees because of shortages or supply chain difficulties, employers must provide the materials and
CDC tutorial
about how to create a
cloth face covering
, or compensate employees for the reasonable and necessary costs employees expend on such materials to make their own masks or cloth face covering.
· In workplace settings where employees are working alone in segregated spaces (i.e. cubicles with walls, private offices, etc.), employees may remove their masks. However, workers shall wear a mask or face covering from the time they enter the building until the time they arrive at their cubicle/workstation and at any time they are leaving their workstation and moving around common areas (i.e. in hallways and stairwells, going to the restroom or break room, etc.). For employees working in congregate settings (i.e. open manufacturing floors, warehouses, areas open to the public, shared offices, or similar settings), those workers shall wear a face covering as above, as well as when they are at their workstation. In addition, continuous wearing of masks is not required in outdoor workspaces where employees do not regularly come within six feet of other employees.
The agency also added language to the Guidelines for Workplace Illness section.
If an employee is confirmed to have COVID-19 infection, employers should:
· Inform fellow employees of their possible exposure to COVID-19 in the workplace but maintain confidentiality as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. The fellow employees should then self-monitor for symptoms (i.e., fever, cough, or shortness of breath).
· Ventilate areas visited by that individual.
· Clean and disinfect all impacted spaces, especially commonly used rooms and shared equipment.
INFO ON COVID BENEFITS/PROGRAMS NOW IN SPANISH
Please forward this information to any you know who needs information about the COVID assistance program in Spanish. Please call
860-437-6309
or email
[email protected]
to make an appointment
. Now is the time where partnerships are vital in getting information to all of our small business/ non-profit owners.
We are all in this together.
RELIEF PROGRAMS TO BE “RE-FUNDED” BY CONGRESS
The House and Senate approved the refunding of the CARES bill so that more money will be available for small businesses thru the EIDL and PPP grants and loans. If you have an application in to the SBA for an EIDL loan/grant you do not need to re-apply. If you applied to your bank for a PPP loan/grant, you should contact them directly to ask if you need to re-apply. Most banks are honoring your initial application but you need to make sure of this. When the bill is formally approved and signed by the President, hopefully by the end of this week, funds will become available again.
WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU APPLY FOR ALL THE PROGRAMS AS SOON AS THEY ARE OPEN AGAIN.
There is no telling how long the money will last. We hear that at least $60 billion is reserved for the smallest businesses so that they will have access to funding.
NEW LOAN PROGRAM: MAIN STREET LENDING PROGRAM
This is a loan under the CARES act. It is not forgivable. On April 9, 2020, the Federal Reserve Bank announced the establishment of the Main Street Lending Program (“MSLP”) to provide up to $2.3 trillion in loans to small and mid-sized businesses striving to remain afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic. The MSLP is a $600 billion lending program designed to assist these businesses, provided they were in good standing before the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the MSLP, the Federal Reserve will provide liquidity to eligible lenders, which will then make direct loans to qualifying businesses facing current financial hardship as a result of COVID-19. For a really good description of the program
click here >
CT OFFICE OF THE ARTS HAS GRANTS
DECD’s Connecticut Office of the Arts (COA) has created two new grant programs for artists negatively impacted by the coronavirus.
CT HUMANITIES NEED YOUR INPUT IN SURVEY BY FRIDAY
CT Humanities
and the
Connecticut League of History Organizations
are teaming up to assist with some of the challenges of running humanities and cultural organizations (including libraries, museums, historic sites, and history and performing arts organizations) during these rapidly changing times.
It should only take seven minutes to complete.
Your response will help us:
* advocate for Connecticut humanities organizations during these difficult times
* get funding to where it is needed
* provide the resources and training that you need most at this moment
Please tell us about your most pressing needs and complete the survey by Friday, April 24th.
ARTISTS SURVEY TO HELP WITH RECOVERY
CERF+ is conducting a
national survey of studio based artists
to understand the challenges they are facing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The data gathered will help us advocate for artists and inform how we can address immediate and long-term needs.
They need your help distributing
this survey
as widely as possible. If you are a studio-based artist, please share it with others and complete the survey yourself. Your identity will be kept confidential and it should take no more than five minutes to complete. If you are a business or an organization, please share it with the artists in your community.
CERF+ was started by artists for artists in the craft community as a grassroots mutual aid effort in 1985 and has since emerged as the leading nonprofit organization that uniquely focuses on safeguarding artists’ livelihoods nationwide. CERF+ serves artists who work in craft disciplines by providing a safety net to support strong and sustainable careers. Our core services are education programs, advocacy, network building and emergency relief.
NEH Grants Available for Cultural Organizations
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act recognizes that the nonprofit humanities sector is an essential component of America's economic and civic life. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has received supplemental funding to provide emergency relief to institutions and organizations working in the humanities that have been affected by the coronavirus. In keeping with Congress's intent in enacting the CARES Act, proposed short-term projects should emphasize retaining or hiring humanities staff.
Eligible organizations should be seeking support for at-risk humanities positions and projects that have been impacted by the coronavirus. Through this funding opportunity, NEH will award grants to museums, libraries and archives, historic sites, independent research institutions, professional organizations, colleges and universities, and other cultural organizations across the country to help these entities continue to advance their mission during the interruption of their operations due to the coronavirus pandemic. Apply here:
NEH invites applications
Maximum award amount is $300,000 for performance between June 15, 2020 to December 31, 2020. Applications due May 11, notification on June 15.
For more information, guidelines, details and application, click
HERE
.
NEW HOTLINE FOR EDUCATION QUESTIONS DURING COVID CRISIS
The CT Legal Services has created a new hotline for anyone who has questions regarding education affected by the COVID crisis. Call here: 860-786-6363.
WEBINARS
Windham Arts and Mass Mocha are partnering to present a series of webinars that are designed to help artists!
With the COVID-19 pandemic’s devastating effect on practicing artists, Assets for Artists has redesigned its business and financial education programming to provide artists with new, crisis-focused, distance-learning opportunities that largely retain the intimate cohort-focused style of in-person workshops. All workshops are held via Zoom, with pre-registration required.
Due to the geographic focus of our current partners and sponsors, at this time all webinars are limited to artists who live in Connecticut, Massachusetts, or Rhode Island.
Financial Strategies for Freelance Artists April 23, 2-4 PM
Taxes for Artists & Preparing for a Downturn April 30, 2-4 PM
Creative Practice Within Virtual Communities May 6 2-3:30 PM
Legal Q & A for Artists, Freelancers & Small Businesses May 7 3:30-5:30 PM
Keep the Doors Open Through Digital Media
April 23 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
This webinar will help guide you through the possibilities of how to maintain engagement with your members through this challenging time, by exploring a more vigorous digital presentation – whether creating new media or mining content archives and re-purposing your assets.
Register Here >
2020 Art Curators Conference
May 1 @ 12:00 pm - May 5 @ 5:00 pm
The 2020 Art Curators Conference will now be held virtually on May 1, 4, and 5. Originally planned for Seattle in May, all sessions and programming will take place online. Registration is open now through April 27 and is open to both members and non-members.
HUMANITIES GRANTS FOR PROGRAMS AFFECTED BY COVID
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act recognizes that the nonprofit humanities sector is an essential component of America's economic and civic life. The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has received supplemental funding to provide emergency relief to institutions and organizations working in the humanities that have been affected by the coronavirus. In keeping with Congress's intent in enacting the CARES Act, proposed short-term projects should emphasize retaining or hiring humanities staff.
NEH invites applications from eligible organizations seeking support for at-risk humanities positions and projects that have been impacted by the coronavirus. Through this funding opportunity, NEH will award grants to museums, libraries and archives, historic sites, independent research institutions, professional organizations, colleges and universities, and other cultural organizations across the country to help these entities continue to advance their mission during the interruption of their operations due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Contact Information
For projects focusing on education, contact the Division of Education Programs at
[email protected]
.
For projects focused on public programming, contact the Division of Public Programs at
[email protected]
.
For projects focusing on digital humanities, contact the Office of Digital Humanities at
[email protected]
.
For projects focusing on scholarly research, contact the Division of Research Programs at
[email protected]
.
For projects focusing on preservation and access, contact the Division of Preservation and Access at
[email protected]
.
